Forum Post: Considerations for specific policy initiatives
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 3, 2011, 6:24 p.m. EST by ThirdOpinion
(7)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
As we move into the phase where anything might actually be accomplished, it is vitally important that we carefully consider what we, the people, would like to see happen, 10 or 20 years from now. There are many problems that we as a nation need to solve, but many suggestions I have seen posted have been rather short sighted. Many of the detractions are also short sighted, as they only take short term effects into account.
Here are some things I would like to see our country work toward, and we can discuss how best to go about accomplishing these objectives together.
People need to feel like their vote matters. Representative democracy only works if people vote, and we have a tragic lack of that in this country
Something needs to be done to foster a more sustainable business model. Things like planned obsolescence are hard to change because there is no profitability in changing them currently.
A two party system is inherently going to focus on wedge issues, leading to other important issues being left undiscussed. In 2010, republicans used the Debt as that issue, while foreign policy was virtually forgotten. It is not just the GOP, but our constitution says nothing of the number of parties we are to have.
Although regulation does cost business money, it is also the reason we as consumers can trust the safety of the products we buy. We need to decide if this country is run by the people or for the profit motive.
Obviously, the war on drugs was the wrong approach, as it has led to a violent cartel system that amounts to terrorism. We need to decide what to do to change this course, and in what direction we want to move.
These are just a few examples, and I hope we can decide on common goals for our nation and our planet. Please give feedback, post your own ideas, and think long term. Participatory democracy is the only way we can keep our American Ideals alive. Thank you
For number 4, I think we need to consider the possibility that there are good and bad regulations. Of course, some are silly and only cost business money, but many are in place to protect consumers. We need to better differentiate between these. In some markets, especially the financial sector, we need to regulate risk management, as companies and countries obviously cannot be trusted to do so. I understand the argument that making banks keep more reserves restricts lending, but if we have to bail out those banks when the leverage themselves 30 or 35:1, which is preferable?